I was reading Sam Anderson's article earlier today. The thing that stood out the most was the truth in Carr's words that we have lost our ability to concentrate and rely on skimming the text for details. I found myself reading a couple of words every few lines. The scary part is that I was conscious of this fact and did nothing to stop myself. I was aware of the article's main idea, but felt that I had cheated myself out of a good read.
On another note, Sam Anderson writes how society has been addicted to even the simplest of games. We have become mindless drones who take out our phones for a minor distraction. Our ability to have a decent conversation has become impaired. Anderson writes about how he tried to resist his urge to play video games. His resistance was futile because the world around him had already succumbed to the power of the moving pictures. This is understandable because he still had the urge to play and fought this urge daily. The power to stop video games isn't as simple as putting the device down. This is because we have already invested countless hours of our lives into building the perfect farm or restaurant. If we stop playing halfway, all of those hours will have gone to waste. This makes people continue to play even though they wish to stop. Game companies have even encouraged this by adding a level system and high scores to their games. Anderson writes that playing games such as "Drop7" have become both an addiction and a chore for him. He detests his habit, yet he doesn't have the power to stop. I have seen this happen to myself. I constantly tell myself that I will log off after I level one more time. This is a lie. I continue to play until the entire day had gone by. The only thing that I have to show for my effort is a couple of numbers added to my online avatar.
People will only abandon their use of current technology when the next new thing comes out. Anderson writes about this when he says that the new version of "Unify" felt like a better game even though the only change was the graphics. It seems inevitable that new technology will continue to displace current devices. The Ipod of now will become the Gameboy of the past.
Now I ask you, when do you believe that society's true addiction to technology and videogames began? Will people be able to purposefully put down their phones not because of a signal jam or a global blackout? Will we simply be drones for the games companies to control? Do we have any control over our habit? Will there ever be a stop to new technology?
I agree with your the statement about addiction to the simplest of games; in fact, the other I got on my laptop with the intention to look up an address on Google and ended up playing one of the Olympic games they built. I hadn't even noticed but 15 minutes went by and I still needed to look up the address. The creators of these games definitely know how to capture your attention with mindless games that don't have any true meaning in the real world. Sadly, electronic game systems have taken control of lives, reversing one's priorities. I don't understand how someone can spend an entire day playing a video game, to me it's really a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteI disagree when you say the "power" to stop video games isn't easy, all it takes is one button and the game is off. Once you walk away from you're custom gamer chair for five minutes the video game is out of sight and out of mind. If I do decide to play a game it isn't more than half an hour, simply because there are more important things to be accomplished. The bad habit of playing countless hours of video games is a personal issue, it isn't hard to overcome all it takes is a little bit of effort.
You are correct, but this is a personal issue which affects most of the population in the U.S, if not the world. This makes this once "personal issue" escalate into a global one. Most people are aware of the negative effects of games. They are constantly reminded of these by their parents. However, even with this awareness most people don't try to make an effort to stop. The situation you describe can be considered a reality, but it can also be said that this effort you speak of is a dream. I congratulate you on your ability to stay away from video games because the same couldn't be said to most people.
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